NEW ORLEANS, La. – Four Redbird track & field student athletes were named to the 2013 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic track & field team, as announced by the organization.
Kelly McShea, Elise Sigg, Brittany Smith and Kristen Zillmer earned this year's honors.
To qualify for the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track and Field Team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.25 and have met either of the following athletic standards. For the indoor season, a student-athlete must have finished the regular season ranked in the national top 96 in an individual event or ranked in the national top 48 (collective listing) in a relay event on the official NCAA POP list provided by TFRRS.org. For the outdoor season, a student-athlete must have participated in any round of the NCAA Division I Championships, including preliminary rounds.
McShea notched five second-place finishes in the 2013 outdoor season, including a personal-best 4:28.18 in the 1,500-meter run at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships to earn All-Valley honors. She also picked up a third-place finish in the steeplechase at the MVC Championships to earn All-Valley honors and qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Round. The Lisle, Ill., native ran a personal-best 10:10.59 in the steeplechase at the preliminaries to finish 14th.
Sigg captured three first-place finishes in the steeplechase for the 2013 outdoor season, including a personal-best 10:12.64 at the Drake Relays. She notched her third victory at the MVC Championships with a time of 10:26.87 to earn All-Valley honors and qualify for the NCAA preliminary round.
Throughout the 2012-13 indoor and outdoor seasons, Smith compiled 35 top-five finishes, including 22 first-place finishes and her 10th All-America honor. The Oak Park, Ill., native holds the Illinois State record in the shot put, weight throw and hammer throw for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. She is a seven-time national qualifier and recently earned her fourth runner-up finish in the shot put and hammer throw with tosses of 58-60 (17.85m) and 224-09 (68.51m), respectively. Smith also claimed 2013 Capital One Academic All-American honors.
Zillmer captured a first-place finish with a personal-best time of 4:27.31 in the 1,500-meter run at the MVC Championships to earn All-Valley honors followed by a second-place finish in the steeplechase with a time of 10:26.88 to earn All-Valley honors and qualify her for the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Zillmer's 10:04.51 eighth-place finish earned her a spot at the NCAA Outdoor Championships were she finished 22nd in the steeplechase with a time of 10:33.50.
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